NGCP donates COVID-19 test kits to hospitals

MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has donated real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machines to government hospitals in the National Capital Region to help raise testing in the region.

The RT-PCR machines are part of NGCP’s P1-billion donation for the COVID-19 response and relief efforts as the country continues to grapple with increasing numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

“NGCP recognizes that the availability of vital medical equipment plays a huge factor in the government’s COVID-19 response efforts particularly in large government hospitals,” the grid operator said.

The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) received two sets each of RT-PCR machines from NGCP last July 1, while the V. Luna General Hospital (VLGH) and Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory also received one set of PCR machines each on Aug. 5.

“We hope that our donation of six sets of RT-PCR machines to RITM, LCP, VLGH, and PNP Crime Lab will expedite the confirmatory process for COVID-19 testing. NGCP’s stakeholders and the public can be assured that the company will continue to fulfill its commitment of supporting the country’s efforts to combat this pandemic,” the grid operator said.

A set, costing round P2.4 million, is composed of an ABI 7500 FAST RT-PCR machine, a desktop computer, and UPS.

RT-PCR tests, which are described by the Department of Health (DOH) as the gold standard in testing for COVID-19, are confirmed through an RT-PCR machine by detecting the actual presence of the virus even when a person is asymptomatic or does not register any of the common COVID-19 symptoms.

NGCP’s P1-billion donation also includes grocery items to over 1,000 local government units (LGUs) and medical equipment such as mechanical ventilators, ultrasound machine, portable x-ray machine, and PPEs to more than 300 hospitals and city/municipal/rural health units across the country.